Records, CDs and Music:

Okay, today we’re taking a look at Paul McCartney.

Well, more specifically Paul McCartney’s music.

Paul McCartney’s SOLO music.

Last year in June of 2016, McCartney released a lovely compilation of his solo years entitled “Pure McCartney”; the first time McCartney has chronicled his entire solo career.

The set was made available in three configurations: a 2 CD set with 39 songs, a 4 CD set with 67 tracks and an exquisite 4 Lp package with 41 tracks.

It’s about time too as McCartney has needed a more comprehensive overview of his solo career which I feel is well deserved.

Now those of you old enough to remember the 1970s and 1980s may remember that McCartney’s post Beatles music (1969 to present) had a decidedly mixed reception.

The public loved it giving McCartney 23 Top Ten hits along with 26 gold and platinum selling albums in the U.S. alone.

Critics on the other hand have mostly slagged off his work saying that it doesn’t hold a candle to his Beatles output. I of course disagree.

As a second generation Beatles fan I grew up with McCartney’s solo music intertwined with his Beatles music; I discovered them side by side at the same time. McCartney’s musical output has always seemed like the same career to me and I’ve grown to love his solo output nearly as much as his Beatles work.

Yes, his Beatles work his stunning but his solo work includes just as many gems that need to be discovered  or re-evaluated which is a role the “Pure McCartney” album fills quite nicely.

Songs like “Dear Boy”, “Jenny Wren”, “Calico Skies”, “Every Night”, “Wanderlust”, “Beautiful Night”, “Don’t Let it Bring You Down”, “Flaming Pie”, “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five”, “English Tea” and “Baby’s Request” get to shine on the 4 CD set along side all the hits from McCartney’s illustrious solo journey.

Even the 2 CD set, for those who aren’t necessarily interested in 4 CDs of music, has a really nice ratio of album tracks and hits that gives the listener a much better overview of McCartney’s solo career than his previous hits collections.

Beginning in 2010 Paul McCartney began a campaign to reissue his solo work in what he has called the Paul McCartney Archive Collection which has also helped bring about re-evaluation of some of his best solo work including the magnificent “Ram” album from 1971.

This archive collection so far has issued ten titles including: McCartney, Ram, Band on the Run, Venus and Mars, Wings at the Speed of Sound, Wings Over America, McCartney II, Tug of War, Pipes of Peace and Flowers in the Dirt.

All of these reissues came out on the Concord Music Group label except for “Flowers in the Dirt” which came out on Capitol Records earlier this year.

In August of 2016 shortly after the release of the “Pure McCartney” collection, McCartney returned to Capitol Records leaving the Concord Music Group who had released his music (and back catalog) since 2007.

Most likely because McCartney knew he was rejoining Capitol Records, the “Pure McCartney” collection not only served as a nice overview of his solo career but as a nice way to end his relationship with the Concord Music Group.

Whatever the reason “Pure McCartney”, though slightly flawed as it skipped songs from the “Flowers in the Dirt” album, is a great way for novices (the 2 CD set) or die hard fans (the 4 CD or 4 Lp sets) to have a handy overview of McCartney’s solo output.

Plus for those vinyl hounds, the 4 Lp set is one of the most attractive packages I’ve ever seen. Nice cardboard inner sleeves and protective rice sleeves along with the enlarged booklet just look stunning. Sounds stunning too.

The 2 CD and the 4 CD set especially (well U.S. versions anyway lol) are inexpensively priced and are a great way to add some McCartney to your music collection.

Check out some photos of the “Pure McCartney” configurations I own (above and below):

2 CD set, 4 CD set (Japanese pressing) and rear cover from 4 Lp set (front and inner sleeves above)

Note: My 4 CD set comes from Japan and the CDs are what’s called SHM-CDs (Super High Material). These CDs play on any CD player but are made of a supposedly better material which helps CD players reproduce the music better. A lot of music fans think this is snake oil but I do notice improved bass (much smoother) and stereo separation. I will do more posts in the future featuring SHM-CDs.

Happy McCartney Monday!

 

 

 

 

 

What is it about anniversaries that makes people sit up and pay attention?

Is it the fact that something has longevity whether it be a relationship, a favorite event, movie or recording?

Sentimentality?

Serendipity?

Whatever the reason human nature dictates that most people enjoy a good anniversary and with this blog post I’m going to celebrate another one!

Fifty years ago, on November 6, 1967 to be exact, one of my favorite pop/rock albums was released into the eager hands of fans around the globe:

“Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones, Ltd.” by The Monkees; the group’s fourth long-playing record and fourth No. 1 album.

Now, anyone who’s a fan of pop/rock music from the 1960s has really got to check this album out. In fact they need to check this album out.

In my opinion this album holds a place in the upper echelon of pop albums from that era including “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band” by The Beatles (yes I said it and yes I’m a huge Beatles fan), “Between the Buttons” by The Rolling Stones and even “Blonde on Blonde” by Bob Dylan.

I’m not saying “Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones, Ltd.” is by any means better than these albums but it certainly is strong enough to be mentioned in their company.

In fact anyone who is skeptical of The Monkees contribution to the pop culture landscape should give this album a spin and experience just where the hippie culture collided head-on with commercialism bringing a taste of the counter culture to mainstream America.

Think of it, those madcap teen idol Monkees who were too busy putting people down on television were now singing songs about the perils of drug dealers (“Salesman”), the sordid free love ode to a gang bang sung so sweetly by Davy Jones (Harry Nilsson’s “Cuddly Toy”) and the soul numbing rise of suburbia (Goffin and King’s “Pleasant Valley Sunday”).

Also addressed on the album were the stirrings of personal greed that would become omnipresent in the 80s (“The Door into Summer”) and Jones psychedelic moog  synthesizer drenched “Star Collector “(written again by Goffin and King) about the growing rise of the rock star groupie.

Even the Mike Nesmith penned song “Daily Nightly” took a look at the resistance of the establishment toward the growing youth culture in L.A. by poetically recounting a Sunset Strip riot in late 1966 where local youth protested the city of Los Angeles’ strict curfews for those under the age of eighteen.

Really this collection is quite a leap forward for The Monkees, at least in terms of subject matter, in which the group really began to assimilate the times in which they were living into the music they were recording.

Looking back it’s quite amazing to see how the group wrestled control of this HUGELY popular money machine (The Monkees TV show and music) from the likes of Don Kirshner who was originally the music supervisor for The Monkees on screen and on record.

Under Kirshner, The Monkees were enormously successful and turned out some excellent pop music such as “Last Train to Clarksville” and “I’m a Believer”.

Unfortunately Kirshner became so enamored of his own ego that the music recorded under The Monkees banner, especially on the second Monkees album “More of the Monkees”, was quickly in danger of becoming too much of a product like a brand of soap.

Much like the second season of The Monkees TV show in which the madcap humor turned more toward the absurd and surreal (which was perfected by the Monty Python British TV comedy troupe just a couple of years later) the group quickly began to evolve from the cute and cuddly.

In just a few short months songs like the sugary sweet Davy Jones sung ballad “The Day We Fall in Love”, from the Don Kirshner era, were replaced with the likes of the slightly risque “Love is Only Sleeping” on their fourth album to even a Jones composed Brazilian influenced ballad about betrayal and broken relationships called “Hard to Believe.”

Due to pressure from Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork specifically the group won the right to play their own music and pick their own songs to record which resulted in this magnificent fourth album and all the music they recorded thereafter.

To me the “Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones, Ltd.”album is the beginning of The Monkees looking outward toward their surroundings and trying to synthesize their experiences of fame with the current counter culture ethic.

From a purely artistic basis “Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones, Ltd.” Is The Monkees high watermark as a recording group.

I may prefer the slightly more garage rawness of “Headquarters”, their third album, but this fourth album song for song is probably their best work.

So with all that said, I thought I’d celebrate this great album and show a few of the CD versions that I own along with a groovy German vinyl copy of the album that has a slightly different cover to the U.S. original version.

There’s also the Japanese CD from 1992 that features the most unique cover for this album I’ve ever seen!

As you can see from the photos, above and below, I’ve even saved every sticker and insert that came with the various CD versions of this album.

Even after fifty years of listening I still can’t get enough of this album and the songs therein.

Check it out – even if that means streaming the album online or wherever. It will be well worth your time!

Until next installment- Ta Ta for now!

 

 

 

 

**Warning: The blog post may induce violent head shaking**

Ah, November!

With Halloween barely in view as it passes your rear view window and Christmas dead ahead like an iceberg you just can’t escape.

Take a seat my friends, while the world is talking turkey, let’s talk CDs.

Monkees CDs.

Monkees Greatest Hits CDs.

You see, since many people feel the holiday season is the greatest time of year, I was inspired to take a look at some greatest hits CDs, Monkees Greatest Hits CDs.

Since there are a dearth of Monkees CD hits collections on the market, I thought it might be fun to share some of the more obscure ones I’ve collected over the years.

Now I know that many people looking at this post may say why on earth do you need to buy the same songs over and over again even if they’re somewhat different or longer or shorter or whatever (hence the warning above).

As I’ve said before, I wish I could tell you lol.

All I know is that every time I run into a new hits set I have this overwhelming urge to add it to my collection!

Some of my favorites are in the photos above and below.

Of all the sets I’ve collected, I have a few that really stick out in my mind as being special:

• “Hey, Hey, It’s the Monkees 20 Smash Hits” – a German CD that was probably the first Monkees hits CD I ever bought. I believe it’s mastered from records so not the greatest sound wise but a good early CD memory
• A Japanese issue of “Then and Now: The Best of the Monkees” that only has 14 songs like the US vinyl version of this album
• “The Definitive Monkees” – a 2 CD German set that contains over 60 songs. The first CD has 29 hits and albums tracks and the second CD contains 31 outtake tracks from Rhino Records Missing Links CDs. Nice collection with a wide variety of Monkees tracks
• Probably the most common CD “The Monkees Greatest Hits” from Rhino Records but this copy comes in a tin case with a slightly larger booklet
• 3 CD UK set called “The Works” which has a terrific track selection but is a tad bit muted sounding. Good set but not the best sounding collection. It does have one of the most unique track selections so would be a good set for someone wanting a one stop shop collection of Monkees material

The three best sounding collections – my personal favorites:

• Rhino Records 2 CD “Monkees Anthology” with some nice treats like the mono version of “You and I’ from “Instant Replay” and the first issue of “Pisces, Aquarius” tracks from the master tape; Reader’s Digest 3 CD set called “Here We Come … The Monkees Ultimate Anthology” which has a great track selection as well as great sound; “The Monkees Daydream Believer” a UK Marks and Spencers CD that sounds surprisingly good (one of the best sounding Monkees hits CDs I own) and a nice oddball track selection that includes “Hard to Believe”, “Don’t Listen to Linda”, “You’re So Good to Me” and “Through the Looking Glass” which don’t feature on any other single CD hits collection.

So there you have it. Just a short look at some fairly rare Monkees Greatest Hits collections to keep you warm on a cool fall evening  …

Until next time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Ram” by Paul and Linda McCartney.

Does it ring a bell?

If you’ve never heard it, you really should give it a try. It’s a great album!

Probably one of the best solo Beatles albums ever released and there are quite a few excellent ones; definitely in my top five along with “All Things Must Pass”, “Imagine”, “Band on the Run” and “Ringo”.

Top five you say? Wasn’t that album practically panned when it came out in 1971?

Well, yes it was BUT you see dear readers hindsight has revealed that much of the music press at the time had a huge grudge against McCartney who was seen as the man who broke up The Beatles.

“Ram” was Paul McCartney’s second full solo album (third if you count “The Family Way” soundtrack which I’m not lol) away from The Beatles.

McCartney’s first album, titled simply “McCartney”, was practically a one-man show with McCartney playing all the instruments himself and recording much of it at his home.

Critics weren’t overly fond of that first solo album and really had their knives out for McCartney’s second release especially since he credited his wife Linda as co-writer and performer, which to say mildly didn’t go down well.

Taken out of the context of its time, Paul and Linda McCartney’s “Ram” is one hell of a great record. It was lushly produced and more in line with a Beatles style production than what McCartney had done on his first solo album.

The songs and production on “Ram” have a very whimsical quality about them and are filled with slightly mad characters like Uncle Albert from the No. 1 U.S. hit “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” and slightly mad takes on the world like the almost manic “Monkberry  Moon Delight” along with dream like interludes like the songs “Long Haired Lady” and the ukulele based “Ram On”.

With musical styles ranging from rock to pop to country to almost psychedelic, “Ram” takes listeners on an aural journey filled with rich textures and swaths of color much like the musical equivalent of an impressionist painting.

Even the brightly colored cover of “Ram” with it’s cut out photos and scrapbook like  appearance suggest an almost adult comic book feel which along with the music makes the album stand out as some sort of post psychedelic reaction to the 1960s.

Well, at least to me.

You see as a second generation Beatles fan I discovered “Ram” in the summer of 1976, the same summer I discovered The Beatles’s “Magical Mystery Tour” album.

I had no preconceived notions of McCartney’s music, I was just taking his career as one big whole – Beatles music and solo music were all one thing to me.

In fact it’s funny how “Ram” and “Magical Mystery Tour” fit so well next to each other. Both are slightly mad and colorful and both are impressionistic.

“Ram” has always seemed to me to be a natural extension from the music of “Magical Mystery Tour”.

That’s why I believe some of McCartney’s solo work has been seen in a much different light lately as the cloud that surrounded The Beatles break-up is long gone and people now look at the music more on its merits than its history.

Anyway, take a look at some of the different “Ram” pressings in my collection. The first copy of “Ram” that was given to me was on the black Capitol label (see below).

I also have an original U.S. copy (in shrink wrap), a copy from France, a copy on the Columbia label (from McCartney’s short stint on that record label) and a lovely copy of the mono pressing which was released a few years ago in 2012.

The mono copy comes from a true mono mix of the “Ram” album that McCartney made for radio use in 1971 when the album was released.

When the “Ram” album was given a special re-issue in 2012 as part of McCartney’s Archive Collection this rare mix was released on CD as part of a big box set as well as this limited vinyl pressing.

The mono mix is fantastic sounding and well worth seeking out if you are or become a fan of this album.

To quote Paul McCartney – Ram On!

Until next time …

  

 

 

 

Well, here we are again.

It feels like the brisk Autumn night it is as I sit down to write this little merry post.

For tonight’s episode, I’d like to take you back a few years. Quite a few years in fact.

Say 47 years or so, give or take a few depending on your mileage.

Ah, 1970, I was four years old at the time. That’s right four.

First let me stop right here  … I have always been obsessed with music.

ALWAYS, lol.

My older two siblings, one who is nine years older than me and one who is eight, have told me me that even when I was in diapers I would drag myself over to the edge of the old huge console-style Magnavox stereo my parent’s owned and dance to music.

Usually music from my older brother’s records, of course, which I helped put a ton of miles, and scratches, on!

Anyway, knowing this fact will hopefully make the following stories seem less strange. Okay, I was a strange kid, I admit it lol.

Two of my fleeting memories from 1970 both involve The Partridge Family.

Yes, the TV show and recording act that most folks reading this over the age of forty will recognize.

For those not old enough to know, The Partridge Family was a television show about a successful musical family and pop group that was based on an actual musical family and pop group called The Cowsills who had a few hits in the late 1960s.

The Partridge Family show was a very big hit that also produced several million-selling singles and albums by the fictional group that featured vocals from two of the show’s stars – lead vocals by David Cassidy and background vocals by Oscar-winning actress Shirley Jones (also Cassidy’s step-mother in real life).

Wes Farrell, who was ironically also producer of The Cowsills, took the production role on all Partridge Family recordings and not only produced the music but wrote a lot of it himself and basically oversaw every single aspect of any recording that was released under The Partridge Family banner.

Now, the first time I became acquainted with The Partridge Family was when one of my other older brothers, I’m the youngest of five, and I were shopping with my mother in an L.S. Ayres department store, of all places.

L.S. Ayres had a small record section and my brother asked if he could get the 45 (with a picture sleeve I might add) of The Partridge Family’s first hit single ” I Think I Love You”.

Well my mother caved in and, just to keep me quite I suppose, bought me a copy as well. You see I wanted whatever my older brother wanted I guess as  I certainly had never heard of The Partridge Family.

This must have been in late 1970 as the song came out in the August of that year and was a number one million-seller by November.

The other early memory I have is being taken to nursery school around that time or even possibly in early 1971 and, wait for it, making the poor teachers at the school play my Partridge Family album (their first) that I had obviously been given.

Even as a kid I didn’t like nursery rhyme type children’s music so I’m sure I was a strange site; a four year old throwing a fit so he could listen to his Partridge Family album. Yikes!

Well, all these years later I STILL love the music of The Partridge Family. Yes, it was never cool (neither was I) and yes it is a bit MOR (middle of the road) and not edgy AT ALL.

BUT it’s also some damn fine pop music sung exceptionally well by David Cassidy who became one of the biggest, if not the biggest, teen idols of the 1970s.

A lot of The Partridge Family’s music was written by great Brill Building songwriters (some of whom also contributed to The Monkees music) like Gerry Goffin and Bobby Hart as well as some terrific contributions from newer songwriters like Tony Romeo (writer of “I Think I Love You”) and Terry Cashman and Tommy West.

I’ve never grown tried of the lush harmonies and catchy pop perfection that make up quite a lot of the music from The Partridge Family.

Yes, it could be formulaic at times but the best of it stands up as some truly wonderful examples of pop music from the 1970s.

Below are some of the vinyl, as well as a few older CDs I own thrown in for good measure, that I acquired this year in various flea markets, antique stores and Amazon.

I found three albums recently in pristine shape still in their shrink wrap their with hype stickers and price tags still on them. And as I’ve said before I LOVE old stickers on my albums lol.

One rare album (see below) which I never owned until this year is a double Lp set called “The World of the Partridge Family” which is one of the best sounding slabs of Partridge vinyl I’ve ever heard.

Partridge Family vinyl is hit or miss as some of the pressings of their albums had very noisy vinyl and but this set is a true gem and just sounds tremendous.

Also below is the rear of a UK pressing of the first Partridge Family Album, that features “I Think I Love You”, which also sounds a step above most Partridge albums in my collection.

Partridge Family albums aren’t that expensive and certainly are disdained by many but who cares? The fact that people get their knickers in a twist about the group makes no difference to me at all.

These recordings bring back sweet memories and fill me with a joy that comes from the undiluted and innocent joy of youth and that’s irreplaceable.

So all you haters, feast your eyes on some Partridge platters and “Come On, Get Happy”!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ah, Japan.

Kimonos, beautiful Japanese temples, sushi, dragons … Monkees.

Monkees?

Seriously?

Quite!

Not only does Japan have some of the best architecture and food in the world but they also have some of the biggest Monkees fans in the world too.

Who would have thought?

Okay, true to form, today I’m here to talk about some really fun and rarely seen Monkees collectible vinyl and CDs from Japan that I have in my personnel collection.

Japanese vinyl and CD products are some of the best made and best sounding products in the world.

Whether it’s Monkees or Beatles, or what have you, the care in the sound quality of the products and the packaging has sent collectors around the world in a frenzy to find Japanese issues of their favorite artists albums.

While Monkees recordings went out of print here in the States around 1971, Japan has always kept the flame burning with their Monkees product constantly in print due to the group’s continued popularity in that county.

In fact from 1980-82 Monkees albums raced up the charts in Japan due to the song “Daydream Believer” being used in a Kodak television commercial and The Monkees TV show returning to the air.

Due to a full-fledged outbreak of Monkeemania, tons of new vinyl reissues were put out as well as books and other Monkees items causing Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork (all separately) to tour the country in 1981 and 1982 due to the demand for all things Monkees.

My first taste of a Japanese Monkees album came in 1976 or 1977 (it’s hard to remember lol) when my oldest brother, who was serving in the Navy at the time, bought me a mid-70s Japanese pressing of “More of the Monkees” on the Arista label (see above and below).

This was well before the 1980 Monkeemania breakout obviously and this particular Japanese pressing is rarely seen these days.

Funny enough, I did notice that the Japanese CD reissue of “More of the Monkees” from 1992 did use the back cover form the mid-70s reissue and of course I have that CD too.

Anyway, below are some really nice items that I have from Japan in my Monkees cupboard.

Photos include:

• 1981 Japanese reissues of “The Monkees”, “More of the Monkees”, “Headquarters”, “Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones, Ltd.”, “Head” and “Instant Replay”
• 3 CD set called “By Request” which came out in 1989. Note: I got this set in L.A. with the same brother who bought me “More of the Monkees”. This was the first issue of a huge chunk of Monkees music on CD and I was thrilled to get it! It’s still a nice set with some unique mixes that aren’t commonly available nowadays
• “Pool It!” Rhino Japanese CD
• “Monkees Rare Tracks” – an obscure legit 1993 Japanese CD issue of a selection of Rhino’s Missing Links Monkees outtakes
• Japanese issues of the 2 CD Deluxe sets from 2007 of “The Monkees” and “More of the Monkees”. The CDs were wrapped in paper that had CD artwork with Japanese writing on it but the regular issues of the CDs inside.
• Mid-70s Japanese vinyl issue of “More of the Monkees” on Arista (front and back and vinyl with inner lyric booklet)
• 1992 rear of “More of the Monkees” Japanese CD reissue

Happy Monkeeing around the world!

 

   

Okay, we’re just four days from Halloween.

For some reason, Halloween always reminds me of skating parties and Michael Jackson.

Really?

I know, weird but it’s true.

When I was in 7th and 8th grades (1979/1980), skating parties were all the rage – maybe they still are.

Anyway, I vividly remember going to a couple of them which must have been held right near Halloween. Or my foggy memory places them near Halloween.

And, as I always do, I relate those experiences to music.

You see Michael Jackson’s “Off the Wall” was HUGE back in 1979!

The album had been released in August of that year and I clearly remember fumbling at those skating parties to “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” and “Rock With You” which were playing in a continuous loop it seemed.

You couldn’t turn the radio on anywhere in those days without hearing those songs every five minutes or so.

Besides skating parties, Micheal Jackson’s album “Thriller” also reminds me of Halloween with the title tracks Vincent Price spoken word dialogue and that eerie laugh. After all these years Michael Jackson, Fall and Halloween are tied together in one big blur – at least for me.

Thus this early Halloween post!

Soooo, I thought it might be fun to take a look at the three Michael Jackson albums I own on CD.

Michael Jackson, much like Richard Carpenter from The Carpenters, was well-known for tweaking his music repeatedly, even after it had been released!

Two of Jackson’s albums, “Off the Wall” and “Bad” contain several different mixes of certain songs. Depending on when you happened to have bought the vinyl or CD you got either old or new mixes or a mixture of both.

Luckily, most vinyl and early CD issues of these two albums contain the first versions, or Lp mixes, of all the songs.

Being that I am an anal collector I, of course, tracked down the first CD issues of these albums when I finally decided to buy them again after having gotten rid of my vinyl versions years ago. There’s something in my DNA that makes me prone to reach out for the way things were first issued. Don’t know why, probably not healthy, but I do.

Because of that I own early CD issues of “Off the Wall” and “Thriller” and a first issue of “Bad” as well as a later issue with several remixes.

Let’s start with “Off the Wall”:

The original vinyl of the “Off the Wall” Lp contains different (and better in my mind) mixes of “Rock With You” and “Get on the Floor”.

“Rock With You” has no hand claps on the original mix and different guitar work and less echo or reverb than the later remix and “Get on the Floor” is much drier sounding with the drums louder.

These mixes were even changed I believe on some later vinyl issues but fortunately the early CD pressings of the album do feature the original mix with the hand claps-free “Rock With You” and funkier “Get on the Flour”.

One of the only ways to make sure you get one of these early mix versions on CD is purchase  one that states “Made in Japan” on the outer edge of the CD label.

There are versions of this Made in Japan CD manufactured for the U.S. and European markets. The copy I have (see photos) is one of the early European pressings which you can easily tell by the catalog number on the CD – CDEPC83468.

One of the other things that also changed on “Off the Wall” was the cover. On the original CD pressing, Michael Jackson is facing sideways on the front cover (from the way the photo is positioned on the booklet). Later issues have him facing upright against the brick wall. This is also one way to spot an early issue of the CD.

“Thriller”:

The “Thriller” CD doesn’t have any mix differences that I’m aware of but again the early Made in Japan CD versions sound much better with a nice relaxed mastering that’s easy on the ears, very crankable with nice bass.

I’ve heard the SACD (Super Audio Compact Disc) version of this album is the way to go as far as sound goes but I don’t own that one.

I’m just happy to have the original CD pressing as the newer versions of this album are mastered way too loud for my tastes and are very fatiguing to listen to for any length of time. Same goes for newer versions of all three of these albums.

“Bad”:

For the “Bad” CD, the first issues feature the original LP mixes.

Three tracks, “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” (with spoken word intro which was later dropped), “Dirty Diana” and “The Way You Make Me Feel”, have noticeably different mixes on the first CD issue that were changed in later pressings.

Some of the other tracks may have differences too in later pressings but these are the three that stick out in my mind.

One way to spot an early issue of the “Bad” CD is to check the way the Epic looks on the back CD cover. If it’s a fat and puffy Epic (see photos) more than likely it’s got the early mixes. If it has three circles around a rod over the word Epic it’s most likely the later mixes.

I guess the “Bad” CD can be found with original mixes, some old and some new mixes and all new remixes! I own one with all original mixes and one with later remixes.

Oh, and don’t be fooled by the small sticker that says “Includes the Bonus Track “Leave Me Alone”. I thought only early issues of this CD carried that sticker but the later pressing I own with remixes has that sticker on it and my earlier pressing doesn’t.

Whew, that’s a lot to process! Hope it wasn’t a case of TMI.

So, happy hunting if you decide to track down any of these rare early CD versions of these epic (sorry, couldn’t resist) Michael Jackson albums. They were expensive right after his death but have come down again in price and can be found with some patience.

Btw, I still love the music but I’ve NEVER been a fan of skating lol, go figure!

Feast your eyes on some on the four CDs that I own of these albums and Happy Halloween early!!!

 

    

Childhood Memories.

Summer childhood memories.

Is there anything more powerful?

Whenever I hear the opening bars to ABBA’s 1977 hit “Knowing Me, Knowing You”, from their album “Arrival”, I am quickly taken back to hot summer days, car radios and childhood places long ago changed from the way they were in those fleeting few months in the late 1970s.

The din from a small radio blaring out into the midday summer sun and images of looking out over a sparkling lake come rushing back to me every time I hear that ABBA song.

You see in my youth, in the 1970s, my family lived in a small lake cottage in the Midwest during the summer months.

My father would drive the 20 miles or so to work each day, back to the town where we had our main address, while we stayed at the lake just so the family could experience life in a relaxed, small town atmosphere.

And of course, as I do with everything, I also remember every single bit of the music I was listening to on those hot, steamy summers.

Surprisingly, along with Paul McCartney and Wings’ “Listen to What the Man Said” and “Silly Love Songs” as well as Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams”; ABBA’s song “Knowing Me, Knowing You” conjures up those wonderful summer memories in crystal clear fashion like some eternal time machine.

Maybe it’s the melancholy that laces each bar of “Knowing Me, Knowing You” or maybe it’s that that song just happens to be tied to some long forgotten event but whatever it is, it’s siren like call is surely a testament to the lasting power of music.

So, after a short detour lol, I wanted to highlight a few ABBA CDs that I found in the past couple of years.

Now that we live in what I call the golden age of buying used CDs, I happened to stumble upon rare early West Germany CD pressings of four ABBA albums – “Arrival”, “Voulez-Vous”, “The Visitors” and “Super Trouper” – very cheap and in great shape.

Collectors like me and the audiophile crowd love early CD pressings from West Germany and Japan as they were pressed in the beginning days of the compact disc (1983-85) and usually sound very warm and have their full dynamic range, close to their vinyl counterparts.

Many CDs, beginning in the mid-1990s until now, can suffer from excessive loudness where the dynamics have been sucked out of the recording increasing the audio levels so that the music sounds good on Ipods and car radios but when played on a good stereo are painful to listen to for very long.

I used to own the “ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits” CD that featured most of ABBA’s biggest hits but I found that it suffered from that same excessive loudness which made listening to it very fatiguing on the ears.

I also used to own the 2 Lp vinyl set of “The Singles” by ABBA so after finally tracking that collection down on CD – which only exists on early CD pressings as its out of print – I began to revel once again in the pop loveliness that is ABBA.

I had never owned any ABBA’s music beyond their hits but my recent discoveries of these early pressings of some of their studio albums has made me much more a fan of their work.

I’m so pleased with these ABBA CDs, they are wonderful sounding and sound so much better than the currently available CD versions of ABBA’s albums.

Do yourself a favor, if you like ABBA, try to find early pressings of either their hits albums or studio albums, you won’t be disappointed!

You might also want to grab their recent 2 CD live album that came out in 2014, “ABBA Live at Wembley Arena”. I bought it on a whim and I must say it’s one terrific sounding CD.

I read some reviews which said that the performances were top notch and the sound of the CD wasn’t compressed and horribly loud and those reviews were right on both accounts. I especially love the live versions of “Knowing Me, Knowing You” and one of my other favorite ABBA songs “Fernando”.

I was worried that the group wouldn’t sound as good live as their vocal blend and harmonies may not translate to a live setting but I was pleasantly surprised by how good ABBA were as a live performers.

It’s a super set and well worth checking out!

Well as every summer ends, so must this post. Enjoy some photos of my ABBA finds (above and below) and until next time, be well!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stickers … again?

For those of you who’ve been exploring any of my previous posts here in Collector’s Land, better known as my Records, CDs and Music blog, today I’m going to take another look at the elusive hype sticker.

Hype stickers, as I’ve said previously, come on either a sealed album or CD and usually promote the hit single from that particular album or, in the case of many of the items I’m showcasing today, the exclusive freebie that’s contained inside the package.

Previously I showed a few of my favorite vinyl hype stickers but today I’m sticking (no pun intended) to some of my favorite hype stickers from CDs – many of which came on chain store exclusive versions of those CDs.

(Note: I’m also throwing in some non-exclusive hype stickers and fun CD packaging just for grins lol.)

Best Buy, when it used to actually STOCK CDs, was particularly good at enticing the greedy collector with exclusive content if you bought the CD from their stores.

Items from ranging from 45’s, tote bags and photo cards to bonus CDs with exclusive tracks and DVDs with bonus footage where dangled in front of collector’s wallets and, as I am somewhat embarrassed to say, I usually took the bait!

Below are quite a few Paul McCartney exclusives from Best Buy and Target stores but there are also a few interesting banner cards or Japanese OBI type strips that I found on certain CDs and never saw again.

Btw, an OBI is thin strip of paper wrapped around a vinyl album or CD and is common on Japanese music products. Some US record companies use that OBI style on their music CDs and vinyl from time to time as well.

The lone Ringo Starr exclusive Best Buy CD in the photos below reminds me how glad I am that we live in the age of buying from the Internet.

The Ringo Starr CD entitled “Vertical Man” came out in 1998 and in those days I remember having to get to the Best Buy store just at the right time to hunt the shelves for the two or three copies of the exclusive CD they had buried in back somewhere.

You usually had to be there right near opening in the morning and then you had to chase down a doe-eyed young store employee who usually just stared at you in a foggy haze as you frantically spelled the artists name until they said they didn’t stock that item.

I remember that happened with this Ringo Starr CD when from the corner of my eye  I happened to look over at a cart waiting to be shelved and pulled the CD out and said, “You mean this one?”

One thing my older age has taught me is if I can’t get it online or mail order, it ain’t happening!

To quote Ringo Starr:

“Oh, you can bet I never let the things I get,
Get the best of me.
When I get blue, here’s what I do and so can you,
It is no mystery when you sing.
La de da, like que sera, whatever la de da”

– from “La De Da”, Vertical Man album 1998

More hype sticker, fun CD packaging love below:

(The last two photos include a special slipcase packaging for Paul McCartney’s “Driving Rain” CD as well as his withdrawn CD single for “From a Lover to A Friend” from that same album.)

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“What number is this Chip? 7A!” …

Fifty years, my how time flies.

I remember it just like it was yesterday when I was … one?

Okay I really don’t remember 1967 at all but fifty years ago today The Monkees last number one single called “Daydream Believer” was released and made its way to hearts of millions of fans around the world.

Whenever I hear that delicate piano intro, played by Peter Tork, I’m instantly transported to a carefree time sitting in front of a small record player on the floor as a child playing that song over and over … and over (just ask my siblings lol).

Anyway, since the “Daydream Believer/Goin’ Down” 45 is celebrating the big 5-0, I thought I’d commemorate the occasion in true collector’s (hoarder?) fashion by sharing all the CD versions I own of the album on which “Daydream Believer” makes its home.

As Monkees fans know, “Daydream Believer” came out shortly before The Monkees’ fourth album entitled “Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones, Ltd.” which was released in November of 1967.

Surprisingly “Daydream Believer” wasn’t a part of that album but instead was released several months later in the spring of 1968 on an album called  “The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees”, the group’s fifth long player and fifth gold album.

Technically “Daydream Believer” is really a part of the sessions for “Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones, Ltd.” but since this is my blog and I love a good anniversary as much as anyone I thought a look at the various CD releases of “The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees” would be fun.

Note: I spent years not being able to buy new copies of my worn out original Monkees albums which had gone out of print so now I’m obviously over compensating – as you may be able to tell lol.

Most of the CD issues of “The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees” sound similar but the one that I’m most sentimental about would have to be the first compact disc issue of this album from Japan in 1992 on Arista Records.

It has a slightly different back cover and is mastered very well and I remember being thrilled to death to see it released on compact disc as I wasn’t sure if all The Monkees albums would make it to this new digital format.

The 1994 Rhino CD release of “The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees”, which sounds just as good as the Japanese disc, includes some terrific alternate versions of songs as bonus tracks. Because of that it’s probably my favorite go to single disc version of the album available on CD.

Both the 1992 and 1994 CDs are out of print but the 1994 Rhino disc is easy to find and is much cheaper than the Japanese issue.

The cream of the crop reissue of “The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees” arrived in 2010 as a Super Deluxe box set and was made available as an online only release by Rhino Records on their Rhino Handmade imprint.

Consisting of 3 CDs, a booklet and a bonus 45, this magnificent box set includes remastered versions of the stereo and ultra rare mono Lp mixes as well as dozens of outtakes, alternates and rare mixes.

The box set sold out pretty quickly – only 5,000 copies were made – and is pretty expensive these days. Of course this now expensive box set is the best representation of this album and the truly sprawling sessions that the group undertook to make it.

By the time “The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees” was recorded in late 1967/early 1968 The Monkees were no longer working together as a self-contained quartet in the recording studio as they mostly had on their third and fourth albums (“Headquarters” and “Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones, Ltd.”).

Each group member was now going into the studio by themselves and creating music produced under The Monkees banner but made individually with top session players; more in line with the way the first two Monkees albums – “The Monkees” and “More of The Monkees” – were made.

This created a HUGE backlog of finished songs that ended up languishing in Colgems (Sony/Columbia’s) vaults until they were rescued from obscurity by Rhino Records beginning in the 1980s.

Some of my personal favorites from the Deluxe box set include “My Share of the Sidewalk” (written by Mike Nesmith with versions sung by both Nesmith and Davy Jones), “Ceiling in My Room” (a reflective Davy Jones ballad), “Come On In” (a lovely Peter Tork track) and “Nine Times Blue” (a Mike Nesmith tune sung by Davy Jones).

Other quality tracks that are a thrill to hear include Micky Dolenz’ proto-punk “Rosemarie”, early mixes of “Through the Looking Glass” (later found on the “Instant Replay” Lp) and Peter Tork’s acid rocker “Long Title: Do I Have to Do This All Over Again?” (later found on “HEAD” soundtrack Lp), a wonderful early version of “The Girl I Left Behind Me” (sung by Davy Jones) and “(I Prithee) Do Not Ask For Love (Second Recorded Version)”.

The set also includes some really interesting backing tracks, songs before vocals were added, including “We Were Made for Each Other” which was produced by Chip Douglas (esteemed Monkees producer) and “Wasn’t Born to Follow” which was finished in 2016 with a lovely Peter Tork vocal and put on The Monkees 50th reunion album “Good Times”.

The outtakes and rarities on this set really flesh out the sessions for “The  Birds, The Bees & The Monkees” highlighting a variety of musical styles ranging from country, folk, pop, rock to a bit of Broadway thrown in for good measure courtesy of Mr. Jones.

This exhaustive box set really showcases the group as quality songwriters, producers and performers. Not bad for the cast of a TV show that really wasn’t a group when the Monkees project began.

The two latest issues of this album on CD, from 2012 and 2016, are taken from the stereo version that comes from the Super Deluxe box set.

Whew, so there you have it!

Happy 50th birthday “Daydream Believer” and help yourself to a sampling of the album it’s found on – “The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees”; a lovely example of some terrific, melodic, sometimes psychedelic, sometimes bizarre pop/rock goodness.

Below you’ll find photos of all of the CDs mentioned except the 1994 Rhino CD which is seen as part the photo at the top of this page:

• First issue Japan Arista CD 1992
• Super Deluxe Box Set 2010
• Rhino single CD (no bonus tracks) 2012
• Rhino paper sleeve version from 2016 Monkees Classic Album Collection box set